Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

It's almost the halfway point in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I'm well past the 25,000-word midpoint of the standard NaNo target. I'm hoping to have 34,000 or even 35,000 by the time you are reading this, and to hit the actual midpoint of my draft by the end of tomorrow (the middle of the month). Death By Library is growing fast, and I'm having fun tormenting JJ, especially with teen drama. I think I hit a good balance between planning and letting things develop as they will, and I'm having fun with my characters. I know I'm writing too much daily detail, but I've made my peace with that: I seem to need to write those details to get to what's important. I just have to be ready to deal with the mess of deleting them when the time comes (I think that also means I should probably aim for closer to 90K words than 80K for a full draft, but I'll just see how the story arcs). November can be a difficult month for the NaNo project (I have wo...

Last week our intrepid heroine and her side-kick found a kitten ravaging the tables of the PTA holiday bazaar. This week, they deal with finding the cat a home, against all the odds. I ran a bit over, at 1050 words. A Pismawallops PTA Christmas, Part II I put my hands on my hips and glared at Kitty. The kitty in her arms poked its furry little face toward me and mewed. “How on earth do you intend to persuade Arne Hancock to adopt that creature?” “It’s a kitten, JJ, not a ‘creature.’ And I have about three minutes to come up with the answer to that,” she added. “While we tidy his table,” I pointed out. “I think it will go a lot better if he doesn’t see what the kitten did to his rainbows.” I left her trying to hold the cat in one arm while she moved potholders around with her free hand. Trotting across the gym, I flipped the switch that started the music, then scurried back the other way to open the door. Three PTA parents stood outside with trays and platters of baked goods. I took the...

  J is for JJ MacGregor In a nutshell: The protagonist of the Pismawallops PTA mysteries is grumpy and tactless and willing to work her fingers to the bone for the school or for her kid. Under it all, she is totally committed to justice and the kids. Biggest secret: Totally has the hots for the police chief. Favorite line: "Tact wasn't one of my strengths."  The Pismawallops PTA is a cozy mystery series (adult, not children's, but not *that* kind of adult), with two books out and a third on the way.  Book One: What do you serve when all you have in the freezer is an ice-cold corpse?  JJ and her best friend Kitty struggle to hold the Pismawallops PTA together, and new volunteer Letitia LeMoine isn’t making it any easier.   But when Letitia’s strangled corpse turns up where the ice cream bars should have been, things get a whole lot worse.   JJ has to shoehorn in a search for the killer along with all her other problems: divorce, a 15-year-...

It's summer, it's Monday, and the Ninja Librarian has nothing new to say. Instead, enjoy this repost of a little Pismawallops PTA mystery, to kick off a sale on the books. For the rest of June, Death By Ice Cream will be just 99 cents for the ebook, and Death By Trombone just $2.99. Get a jump start on the series, as I contemplate returning to work on Book 3 (while Book 3 of the Ninja Librarian is with the beta readers). The Baffling Case of the Missing Socks A Minor Domestic Mystery “Mom!  I can’t find my socks!” There are few words more chilling to the heart of a mother on a schedule.  No use ignoring him, though.  I’ve known Brian almost 16 years, and he doesn’t give up. With a sigh, I hit “save” and turned from the computer to call up the stairs, “There were a dozen pairs in your sock drawer yesterday.” “I mean my new running socks.  The ones Coach brought me from Seattle.” I began the standard litany.  “Are they in your gym bag?” “No!” “Did you leave them i...

In celebration of the final two days of the special sale price for Death By Ice Cream, I am offering a short story featuring JJ MacGregor and her friend Kitty, neatly solving another problem for Pismawallops Island high school. This would take place between the events of Death By Ice Cream and those of Death By Trombone.  998 words.   Senior Sneak “Anything interesting at school?” I juggled a gallon of milk and an overloaded hand-basket as I made the polite inquiry of my son’s principal. I expected Mr. Ammon to smile and give an equally polite and meaningless answer and get on with his shopping. Instead, he groaned. “What should there be, JJ? I’m sitting in the office doing paperwork when I should be teaching algebra and trigonometry, coping with everyone’s moods and issues and crises, not to mention that the seniors get insufferable this time of year. Apart from all that it’s just hunky-dory.” I mumbled something about, “let me know what we can do to help,” and tried to rest...